In regards to the original question, who's to say. Some people are into that type of thing, so who knows, if they make Hasbro some cash, it's won't matter what we think. That said, I have no interest in them and I agree with Broem, the Choppers were much worse.

There are two things at work here when considering any one item being put on the shelves at WalMart, Target and TRU: 1) the time it takes for design, development, manufacturing, packaging, etc... and 2) convincing the chains to make space for a $10 (I'm just guessing on what these cost, if someone wants to correct me please do) assortment of items in a box on a shelf, as opposed to a hang-peg.

If Hasbro were to come to you and ask -- Would you prefer that we make either:

(a) an urban vinyl Star Wars line with the first assortment consisting of Darth Vader, Boba Fett, a Stormtrooper, Han Solo & Chewbacca?

or

(b) deluxe figures that are re-issues of premium versions of Star Wars characters but each character comes with a 4" wide x 4" deep x 8" high plastic diorama display environments - where in some waves the dioramas will click together and in other waves the dioramas will be stand alone? The first assortment would feature Luke, Han, Leia & Chewie in Death Star Trash Compactor dioramas and a fifth diorama would feature C-3PO & R2-D2 next to a Death Star computer terminal in the hangar bay. (if you don't like this example, insert your own concept here, perhaps the Cantina or Outlander Night Club or Anakin's hovel or Ewok Village or Echo Base, etc...)

I would like to think that many of us here would prefer (b) regardless of how we feel about the Mighty Muggs concept.

I mean they tried rip-cord motorcycles, they tried larger figures w/action features (Force Battlers), they tried their own take on the HeroClix market (Attacktix), they tried metal figures and now they're trying to move into the Urban Vinyl market. With the exception of the last item, all have failed, but that's only because the Mighty Muggs haven't been out that long. I predict in a year, that Mighty Muggs will be lumped in with all of these other sub-lines as failures.

One more thing - I think these are MUCH WORSE than the choppers. If the Choppers had been scaled for the 3.75" line and were part of that "system" then more people would have bought into them. So while they did STINK, what hurt the choppers more than their own lameness was the fact that they weren't in the 3.75" scale. Look at the Spiderman Web Racers - they are motorcycles with figures that can be removed from the bike and the figures are smaller than regular Star Wars figures. If Hasbro had really wanted to make them in the 3.75" scale they could have. Change the scale on the choppers and at least you bring the 3.75" completists into the fold. The 3.75" scale is what helped the Titanium Figure Line stick around for as long as it did, change the scale on the metal figures and they don't go beyond the first wave.

So all I would prefer is that Hasbro focus on their bread-and-butter - the 3.75" line of figures.

« Last Edit: January 5, 2008, 12:10 PM by Pete_Fett »

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Peter

Letting my collecting OCD get the better of me on a DAILY basis... and loving EVERY minute of it!

...I would like to think that many of us here would prefer (b) regardless of how we feel about the Mighty Muggs concept...

Absolutely. I'd choose B in a heartbeat. 3 3/4 figures with large accessories and/or playset parts are much more welcome that this doomed to fail line (BTW Jesse, I've seen all of these at least twice now and they are hanging around in my area, so let me know if you want me to pick them up for you. I want them off my shelves...lol).

A $10 pricepoint for a fig and playset part is worth it, more so if said parts to connect. We'r already paying $7 for a fig, so what's $3 extra for a part to make a bigger set?

I loved the Wampa/Ice Cave and Luke/Ice Cave sets from SAGA. That was a good start.

Now if we can start getting Death Star sets, I'd be all over it.

Regardless that M&M (sarcastic use of another failed subline) er sorry MM uses similar tooling for each fig, they are boring. They do look to similar and have no articulation to anything fun with. Okay maybe they have head, arms and legs, I don't know but that doesn't give them any real room to pose in a cool way. Also the plain white packaging makes them look like "generic" SW toys. Anyone else remember the generic line at grocery stores from years past?

I won't ever be convinced that the Might Muggs line is anything but a waste. Up until this thread I've never heard of Urban Vinyl and I'm not in a rush to find out either. If a powerhouse license like SW fails to draw me in to this style I can't see how anything else would.

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I'm just a humble collector trying to make his way through the universe...of toy aisles."We are strong. We are resilient. We are American." - President Barack Obama, State of the Union Address 2010

Let me say this, I would much rather have the 7" unleashed line brought back then these, I have ZERO interest in buying these or the key chains. Sometimes hasbro just makes me shake my head, and ask WHY WHY WHY!

I think if Hasbro weren't doing Mighty Muggs, which is basically a takeoff on Urban Vinyl, they would probably be doing something else.

I agree. While 3.75" stuff is indeed the "bread and butter", Hasbro has always tried new things. Sometimes it works (Titanium Series, 7" Unleashed, Galactic Heroes, etc) and sometimes it doesn't (Choppers, Force Battlers, etc).

For me, the jury is still out for me on Mighty Muggs (they've only been out about a week after all). Different strokes for different folks I guess... Personally, I hated the 7" Unleashed but a lot of folks loved them. I don't see this as any different. Some folks will love it, some will hate it. Life will go on...

I would like to think that many of us here would prefer (b) regardless of how we feel about the Mighty Muggs concept.

I would agree, but I'm sure this line isn't aimed at us; the 3 3/4" SW collector SW fan. It's probably aimed a more casual SW fan into weird items or other line collectors who don't like the 3 3/4" line with the hope that these catch the eye and keep them in the SW section with the hope of increasing their appetite.

I would agree, but I'm sure this line isn't aimed at us; the 3 3/4" SW collector SW fan.

And in that reasoning lies their mistake.

A year or two ago, G4 covered Toy Fair - when they got around to the Hasbro Star Wars display Daryyl DePriest touted the Titanium Forged Figures as the "cool new thing" for the Star Wars toy line.

I will roll my eyes and laugh if G4 covers Toy Fair again and when they get to the Hasbro Star Wars booth instead of hyping the stuff based around The Force Unleashed, this will be what happens...

G4 Interviewer: Tell us what you have planned for Star Wars this yearDarryl DePriest: Well, we've got these bulbous Urban Vinyl style figures that we think your viewers will LOVE!G4 Interviewer: Mr. DePriest, you know G4 is channel focused primarily on video games, are you doing anything around the "Force Unleashed" game this year?Darryl DePriest: (points at the display of 3.75" figures) Yeah, we got some of that stuff, but you really should be focusing on our Mighty Crudds! They are the future of Star Wars collecting!

At this point, the rest of the Hasbro team should be shown throwing whatever Mighty Muggs they have on display into a coffin and nailing it shut.

« Last Edit: January 6, 2008, 09:56 AM by Pete_Fett »

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Peter

Letting my collecting OCD get the better of me on a DAILY basis... and loving EVERY minute of it!

I couldn't agree more Nick. Of course the 3 3/4" line is their bread and butter as has been mentioned, but the company has to try new things to keep up with the times. Drawing in collectors with the Mighty Muggs that have no interest in the 3 3/4" line makes Hasbro stronger and in the long run they can reinvest the profits. Sure there's possibility for failure, but Urban Vinyl is huge these days and I think it's a smart move by Hasbro to test the waters.

Urban vinyl is huge? I think this is one of the biggest myths going around, thanks mostly to mainstream media giving lots of attention to these "toys for adults." Many Urban Vinyl figures are created in runs of 500 or less, and many (not all, of course) take a long time to sell through at that tiny edition size. (They opened one next to one of my favorite record stores in Phoenix last summer, I can't wait to see if it's imploded upon itself yet next time I visit.)

That and there's probably no chance of these going for more than a year. But hey, it'll be a neat line of whatever it turns out to be that we can all list when the next line of items aimed at audiences that are not us comes out.

I agree that a Deluxe figure line would be welcome these days. But given the package design and the current Star Wars planogram for most stores, Mighty Muggs doesn't equate with what we know of Deluxe Figure packaging. The Deluxe Figure line has always lived on the pegs, but Mighty Muggs is a line that sells from the shelf. And I think we would still have to ask what other kind of offering could Hasbro offer in that shelf space?

So far it appears to be selling alright, but it's incredibly early to be making those kind of judgements. And I still see it as a line that's targeting people other than the hardcore 3.75" figure collector base. It looks like they're trying to branch out the overall line into a new market. Now is it going to show up in shops that specialize in Urban Vinyl? That remains to be seen. I'll have to check out Toy Tokyo soon, as they specialize in Kubricks, Bearbricks and Urban Vinyl to a degree. I want to see if this line is on their shelves along with their normal stock.

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"You were entrusted to lead the Republic." - Vote for Ven Zallow from THE OLD REPUBLIC in figure polls!

I will only be interested if they do a Jawa. I think it's always in Hasbro's interest to try new things. The audience for Star Wars toys somehow seems to have expanded since the last film, the kids are back, and they want to branch out to as many possible buyers as they can.

I would agree, but I'm sure this line isn't aimed at us; the 3 3/4" SW collector SW fan.

And in that reasoning lies their mistake.

A year or two ago, G4 covered Toy Fair - when they got around to the Hasbro Star Wars display Daryyl DePriest touted the Titanium Forged Figures as the "cool new thing" for the Star Wars toy line.

Can't argue with that... but I'm gonna try anyways.

Consider that the forged figures were still basically 3 3/4" statues which I think had the opposite intention of the mighty mugs, to get the hardcore collector to buy more instead of attracting the non or casual collector.

I have ZERO interest in buying these or the key chains. Sometimes hasbro just makes me shake my head, and ask WHY WHY WHY!

Just for the record, Hasbro isn't producing the keychains or the bobbleheads. Target/Funco is the one responsible for bringing in those gems.

I for one have been really kicking around buying into this line - I just wonder where the line is headed and how enduring could it really be? They seem to be pigeonholed into human-form "core" characters which means that even though there is a 3PO coming out, he'll probably be doomed to loneliness as R2 just doesn't "fit the mold".